


Sun's gettin' low

by CaptainErica



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: BruNat, F/M, first lulaby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-30
Updated: 2018-09-30
Packaged: 2019-07-20 17:50:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16142378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainErica/pseuds/CaptainErica
Summary: What was the best way to control The Hulk? To get him down easy, fast, without a fight?





	Sun's gettin' low

“I don’t want to do that again.” Steve says, his arms crossed and his legs apart in that stable stance of his that he does when he’s about to preach at them or argue. Natasha had originally read it as a stance _meant_ for intimidation, but she eventually got the feeling that for Steve it was more about the stability than the intimidation it produced.

“Really? Because I thought it could bear repeating.” Tony drawls, as he raises an eyebrow and copies Steve’s stance. It was that combative sarcasm that both amused and drove everyone crazy, but Natasha was on Tony’s side tonight.

Steve lets out a breath and his eyes close to slits as he prepares to respond, but Natasha beats him to it. “I’m pretty certain we’re all well aware that tonight could have gone better, Cap.” She was dispassionate and monotone, and it was a no-nonsense tone that she knew would work well in this situation. Her lips quirk up into that half smile she can’t stop herself from doing when Steve makes a sour face and drops his arms.

This Steve was less combative, more uncertain. This Steve was easier to deal with because he wasn’t acting morally righteous…and he was less likely to let Tony bother him. Tony, on the other hand, never read these signs until later on, if he read them at all, and it often made her want to rip her hair out.

“Oh but didn’t you want to hear about our spectacular failings in full blow-by-blow detail mere minutes after they’ve happened?” Tony asks, his hands palm up as he brings them out in a searching motion. Out of the corner of her eye, Natasha spies Clint watching from the controls, and she can practically _feel_ him rolling his eyes behind his shades.

“Just forget it, Stark.” Steve says, and runs a hand over his tired face. “and don’t think I don’t know that we all want the same thing out there. But we need more _control_.” He grounds out the last word as if it pains him, and the worry in his eyes is enough to make even Tony let out a sigh.

“We’re working on something,” He says, lowering his voice and casting his eyes about the flight deck. It was a nervous gesture, something that spoke volumes about who and what he was referring to. “We’re hoping for it to be more of a ‘last resort’ type of thing…but it’s really all we can think of right now.”

Thor, who had been standing unusually quietly off to the side, tilts his head just a bit. Natasha can tell he wants to say something, but it seems that he can’t think of exactly how to fit it in.

“Just send Nat after Big Green and Mighty next time.” Clint says. He’d turned back toward the controls, and so the startled looks sent his way went unnoticed. “Never seen him hurt _her_ before.” He tacks on, almost as an afterthought.

Steve shakes his head with a look of utter confusion warring with a look that clearly states that Barton was insane. Tony, on the other hand, looked like a scientist with a theory.

“Hey now, you know, out of all of us she really _does_ have an edge.” He says, his left hand coming up to stroke his chin.

“And what do you expect me to do? Walk up to him and sing him a lullaby?” Natasha asks, her arms folded across her chest while she leans back away from them.

“Sounds like a death wish.” Steve says, but Thor shakes his head.

“No, not if it is done properly.” Thor says, and all of them turn to look at him. He raises his hands in a gesture of defeat, but Tony seems to have thought of something.

“You are the best with people,” He says, his head tilted to the side and his hands and fingers motioning as if trying to get others to back him up. “You have that way of getting into people’s heads, you know?” He’s tapping at the center of his chest again, a nervous tick that won’t go away, even without the metallic clack that had always accompanied it.

Steve doesn’t know, and Natasha silently refuses to for the moment. And when they get back to base, she moves quickly to her rooms.

~~~

“Code Green!” Cap calls over the com. There was a collective groan in response, but Natasha tried to hold hers in check.

“Keep an eye on him Widow!” Stark calls as they hear a great roar from the direction of the quinjet. She rolls her eyes but doesn’t respond. The plan was clear, and there was always brute force if it didn’t work out.

Natasha fights her way through a cluster of Hydra agents and swings herself up into a tree just in time to miss being run over by the Hulk as it charges past. Giant and green, The Hulk parted the flow of agents like a terrible tank. There was screaming and shouts that Natasha recognized peripherally as a language she understood.

She cocks her head to the side and lifts her chin, trying to see through the trees and toward the Hydra base where Stark and Thor were moving in to check for the Scepter. She could barely see anything with the smoke in the air and surge of bodies and tanks. This was a smaller base than the last one, but for some reason there still seemed to be an endless supply of agents willing to fight for Hydra.

Dropping down from the tree onto an unsuspecting agent, she knocks him out and charges after The Hulk in the hopes of keeping him in sight.

“Green Machine is throwing tanks around by the wall.” Clint calls, and Natasha takes a deep breath and darts toward the outer wall of the facility.

“Someone divert him!” Cap calls out, and Natasha whips her head around to scan the tree line. She spots Cap taking out an agent by the gate. “Fall back, we’ve got it cleared!” He calls out before turning toward The Hulk who had let out a loud roar of frustration as it banged its fists against the wall.

“I’ve got eyes on the Big Guy.” She rasps as she checks the area for a way to get in The Hulk’s line of sight without getting in its way.

“Better draw Big Guy off the wall.” Stark says, “Scepter is a no go, nothing else to see here.”

“On it.” Cap says, before running toward The Hulk and catching its attention. “Where do you want him Widow?” He calls and she’s already running back toward the perch she’d been in.

“Draw him south then get out.” She says, and she sounds calm and business-like and she breathes deeply to settle her nerves as she turns around.

“All you, Widow.” Cap says, and she doesn’t even see him as he peels out of The Hulk’s line of sight.

The big guy is barreling toward her when he stops and looks around confused. Breathing heavily and making loud grunting noises as he searches the area for Cap, Natasha goes mostly unnoticed until she steps a little too loudly.

The Hulk’s head whips around to face her. Its nose twitches as it takes a loud breath in, its mouth settled into a snarl. Natasha crouches just a little on her haunches and takes a slow step forward. The Hulk was just watching her, its eyes still lowered into a glare of distrust.

There was a shout in the distance and The Hulk lets out a startled roar, causing Natasha to stumble back a step before she rights herself and levels a calming gaze on it again.

“It’s alright Big Guy.” She murmurs, unsure of how loud she should be. Its eyes flash from a glare to confusion as it focuses back on her. “That’s right Big Guy.”

The Hulk shuffles a half step forward, and Natasha has to take a deep breath in through her nose to keep herself steady as she stands her ground.

“Sun’s going down Widow.” Cap mutters into her ear, and she takes in a breath and raises her arm up.

“Sun’s gettin’ real low.” She says, a little louder than last time, and The Hulk’s eyes fall to her arm outstretched before him. She puts her palm up so that it is facing him, and he slowly raises his arm in mimicry of hers. She rolls her arm over so that her palm is face up and he lays his on top gently.

With another deep breath she pulls her palm out from under his and slowly reaches forward to gently touch her fingers to the inside of his wrist. She presses down lightly but firmly and drags her fingers down into the palm of his hand, her eyes never leaving his face though his eyes are locked firmly on her hand.

His palm is cupped just lightly and as her hand scoops up toward his fingers her heart is hammering in her throat. This was not really what she had planned to do. She wasn’t even really certain where this thought had come from, but she won’t question it until she’s safely aboard the quinjet. She pulls her hand out of his quickly as his hand curls up even more. His eyes are still on his hand as a shiver runs through his great body.

Natasha backs away slowly, averting her eyes as The Hulk shivers again and turns away from her. She hears a guttural groan that grows softer and more human while she listens.

“Big Guy down.” She mutters.

“Bring ‘im to the jet.” Cap says, and she nods, more to herself than for any real outward benefit.

“Doctor Banner?” She asks, standing up and turning back toward where The Hulk had been.

“You don’t happen to have a shirt…?” She hears from somewhere to her right.

With a small smile on her face, she turns toward him and notes him standing there with his hands twisting in front of him. _Embarrassed, self-conscious, controlled._ Her mind supplies for her as he shuffles awkwardly forward.

“Sadly, no,” She says with a slight smile on her face.

“Figured as much,” He mutters, and follows behind her as she moves toward the quinjet. The hatch closes behind them as an explosion sounds in the distance.

“Took you guys long enough,” Stark quips over the com and Natasha’s lips twitch up into a half smile.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this in 2016, considered it unfinished then, but I'm considering it complete now ^^ Just a soft look at Natasha and the Lullaby.


End file.
